The Global Environment Facility (GEF) was created in 1991, before the Rio 'Earth' Summit in 1992, which aimed to develop a global blueprint for balancing economic development with environmental protection. However, its importance grew after the summit.
The Rio Summit produced three major environmental conventions. These were the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity, and, later in 1994, the Convention to Combat Desertification. The GEF became the financial mechanism for these agreements, meaning it mobilises and distributes funds to help countries implement them. Over the past 35 years, the GEF has expanded its mandate. Today it supports multiple conventions and environmental initiatives through a structured set of trust funds. This architecture allows the facility to coordinate funding across different environmental priorities while maintaining specialised programs for each global commitment.
The Eighth Assembly of the GEF recently finished its 71st Council meeting at the Congress Centre of Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Nearly 150 country representatives participated in the week-long assembly and associated meetings. It started on 31 May, 2026 and was underway until June 6, 2026.
The GEF opened in the midst of a sharp divide, with donor nations urging broader and increased funding commitments, while developing countries called for more equitable and accessible pathways to environmental finance. In April, donor countries had pledged an initial US Dollar 3.9 billion to the GEF Trust Fund's ninth replenishment cycle (GEF-9), which would support environmental projects worldwide from 2026 to 2030.
On the very first day of the meeting government officials, development banks, philanthropies, and civil society groups welcomed the pledges and highlighted GEF's "whole of the societies" approach, which aims to involve governments, communities, businesses, and civil society. However, discussions at the meeting preceding the Assembly also reflected a growing challenge - that pointed out that environmental problem were becoming more urgent as international aid budgets are decreasing. Developing countries also raised concerns about whether funding is reaching those who need it most and whether access to it is fair.
Opening the Assembly, GEF Interim Chief Executive Officer Claude Gascon said GEF-9 is designed to "unlock great investments" through stronger cooperation across government agencies while continuing support for least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS). Gascon underlined that "the resources must reach countries more efficiently, where the impacts are greatest." Gascon also pointed to reforms that are required to simplify procedures and improve accountability.
Aziz Abdukhakimov, Advisor to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Environment and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, highlighted the importance of this forum by observing that "we meet in Samarkand at a moment when the triple planetary crisis is becoming increasingly visible across all regions of the world. At the same time, the window for achieving our global environmental commitments is rapidly decreasing. This is why the role of the GEF is important more than ever."
The GEF stressed that the key feature of GEF-9 will be integrated programming, based on the idea that environmental problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation are interconnected and should be tackled together.
Ninety-eight countries, including 31 least developed countries and 26 small island states, are now expected to participate in these programmes from 2026 to 2030. More than 100 country-level workshops and consultations are expected to help countries strengthen their capacity, align GEF funding with national priorities, and increase participation by women, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and the private sector.
Norway, an important donor country, has welcomed larger allocations for LDCs and SIDS, as well as funding targets aimed at directing more resources to countries with the greatest needs. Norwegian representatives said they have high expectations for the results GEF-9 will achieve.
Representatives of Indigenous Peoples have also described the replenishment process as a major step forward. Speaking on behalf of the GEF Indigenous Peoples Advisory Group (IPAG), Giovanni B. Reyes noted that Indigenous communities had a stronger voice in shaping the new funding cycle. "For the first time, our work will be visible in the way it deserves. The inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and our territories in the corporate scorecard means our contributions will be counted, our lands recognised, and our results disaggregated alongside women and youth. We have always been there - this is our way of life. Now the data will tell our story and amplify our voices" Reyes told the Assembly.
Several new partnerships were announced during the initial stage of the Conference. Gascon revealed a partnership with a U.S.-based philanthropy to support biodiversity conservation in Africa through the Africa Protected Areas Initiative.
The World Bank, which serves as trustee of the GEF Trust Fund, has also announced that US Dollar 3.3 billion has already been confirmed for GEF-9. Speaking at the Assembly, Maitreyi Das, World Bank Vice Director of Trust Funds and Partner Relations, said additional contributions are expected as donor approval processes continue. For the first time, countries can now make pledges throughout the replenishment period rather than only at the beginning. "This replenishment reflects a shared resolve to advance an ambitious environmental agenda at a very difficult moment for overseas development assistance," she said. She credited the movement forward in the enhanced cooperation among donors, recipient countries, civil society, businesses, and international environmental conventions.
However, despite the positive announcements, delegates from some developing countries pointed out that access to finance remains a major problem. African representatives have described GEF-9 as an important opportunity to address drought, food insecurity, land degradation, and biodiversity loss. Nevertheless, they have warned that available funding remains far below what Africa needs to meet global climate and biodiversity goals by 2030. While they welcomed increased attention to least developed countries, dry lands, and integrated programmes, several African countries also cautioned that blended finance and private-sector investment require financial systems and risk-sharing mechanisms that many countries still lack.
Environmental analyst Stella Paul correctly referred to how Brazilian delegate Simone Carolina Bauch, speaking on behalf of her constituency had not only welcomed commitments to dedicate 35 percent of GEF-9 funding to biodiversity and 20 percent to Indigenous but also that countries should remain in control of how projects are designed and implemented. Bauch also called for greater clarity on the rules for participating in integrated programmes and warned that co-financing requirements should not become barriers to accessing funds. Yicheng Yao, representative of China and Hrisheekesh Arvind Modak, representative of India, strongly supported these concerns raised by Bauch and called for simpler and fairer access to green finance. Responding to these issues, Gascon pointed out that said resources have been set aside for a country engagement strategy that will help national focal points better understand funding opportunities and make informed decisions.
Commenting on the denotations that had emerged from the GEF-8, analyst Kizito Makoye has mentioned that delegates appear to have also pushed for "Greater Accountability, Community Inclusion as GEF Crosses Major Environmental Milestones"
While the GEF said its eighth replenishment cycle (GEF-8) was about to exceed environmental targets for biodiversity protection, marine conservation, ecosystem restoration, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, governments and civil society groups have also called for stronger safeguards to ensure that local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and smaller implementing agencies are not left behind as funding mechanisms become more complex.
Fred Boltz, the GEF's Head of Programming, has interestingly remarked that the said resources across most funding windows would be fully committed by the end of the current four-year cycle. "In all focal areas, integrated programmes, blended finance, the small grants programme and efforts by indigenous peoples and local communities will yield extraordinary results from GEF-8 investment, achieving or greatly surpassing six of ten GEF-8 outcome targets," Boltz informed the participating delegates.
Boltz also observed that climate investments alone are expected to deliver more than 2.2 billion metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions reductions, while marine conservation efforts will contribute to the creation or improved management of more than 1.9 billion hectares of marine protected areas - equivalent to more than five percent of the world's oceans. He said targets related to marine protected areas, ecosystem restoration, emissions reductions, shared water ecosystems and sustainable fisheries management are also expected to be significantly exceeded by the end of the cycle.
Apparently, key projects will include support for the Great Green Wall initiative across the Sahel and a water-land management programme in Central Asia covering two river basins that support about 80 percent of the population in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. They are expected to reduce pollution and promote cleaner industrial production.
Boltz has also remarked that "the Latin America and Caribbean Debt for Nature Conversion Facility helps countries address debt burdens and support biodiversity conservation at the same time." Boltz also observed that local civil society organisations would help place nearly seven million hectares of landscapes and 300,000 hectares of marine habitats under improved management practices, benefiting around 870,000 people, half of whom are women. It is expected that the GEF will announce support for 10 Indigenous-led initiatives, including 5 Indigenous-led funds, by the end of 2026.
Gascon interestingly reminded the delegates that the "Silk Road was an ancient network of interconnected trade routes that linked the world. Samarkand is known as the "jewel of the Silk Road" because for centuries, it stood at the crossroads of civilisations, a place where people, ideas, knowledge, and commerce converged and flowed to solve the complex challenges of the time. Today, we face environmental challenges that call for this same spirit. This gathering of the GEF Assembly represents a unique international convergence and interconnection of people, ideas, knowledge and finance, as we persevere on the road to 2030, and indeed the road to a healthier, more secure, and more hopeful future for all."
Muhammad Zamir, a former Ambassador is an analyst specialised in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance.
muhammadzamir0@gmail.com